Authors: Judith Townsend Rocchiccioli
He
asked gently, "Why Alex? It was a situation you couldn't control. Not
guilty of anything."
Her
voice was morose, her eyes filled with tears, "I'm just not going, Robert,
I'm not. Now leave me alone about it, please." She laid her head down in
his lap and pretended to fall asleep. She needed to be alone with her thoughts
to try to put together exactly what had happened. She needed to think through
what she should've done. She was feeling so guilty -- about a lot of things.
She should've saved Monique. Finally, she fell asleep on Monique's sofa.
A
half an hour later, Josh opened the door for Nadine Wells. They talked quietly
in the kitchen for a few minutes and Josh motioned for Robert to join them.
Robert seemed uncertain about Nadine, and when he learned she was NOPD's expert
on sexual crimes, he retreated into himself.
Nadine
perceived the change in Robert's behavior and assured him she wouldn't badger
Alex. She mentioned they had met shortly after the rape of Angie Richelieu.
Robert seemed surer of the petite Nadine's concern for Alex and went to awaken
her.
Nadine
held up her hand, motioning for Robert to wait a moment. She asked him,
"Dr. Bonnet, what is your relationship to Ms. Destephano."
He
flushed a little bit at the question. It would have been easy to answer before
last night. He didn't know what to say and stammered his reply, "Well ….
Well, to be honest, Ms. Wells, Alex and I were married when we were students
and lived in Virginia. We divorced about four years ago. Alex moved to Texas
and I moved to New Orleans. I'm from here .…" Robert's voice trailed off,
unsure of exactly what it was the woman wanted to know.
She
continued to look at him, their eyes locked. "And now, Dr. Bonnet, what
is your current relationship with Alex?"
Robert
was uncomfortable. Her directness was bothering him and he didn't like it. He
felt guilty and defensive for some reason. He remained silent.
Nadine
turned to Josh. "Josh, could you leave Dr. Bonnet and me alone for a few
minutes?" Josh nodded and hastily left the kitchen.Nadine continued to
look at Robert, whose defensiveness was turning to anger. His lean, handsome
face was red. She repeated her question, her voice adamant, "Dr. Bonnet,
it's important that you answer my question for your sake and for ours."
"Why,
why in the hell do I have to answer these questions? I haven't done anything
illegal or wrong." He was stubbornly defensive.
"I
must know if you and Alex are sexually intimate. If you are, and have been
recently, it could complicate any evidence we gather tonight. That's the
reason for the questions. Otherwise, I agree. It's none of my
business."
Nadine
saw Robert's shoulder sag. "Ms. Wells, I love Alex. I'd like to marry
her again. We're presently good friends and have been since earlier this
year. I assure you there's no evidence from a sexual encounter that would
complicate a police rape investigation. I promise you."
"Then
why are you so uncomfortable?" Nadine looked at him shrewdly, still
persistent.
Robert
was amazed at the woman's perceptiveness. "Tonight, at least earlier
tonight, Alex and I had dinner at her house." He smiled at the memory.
"I believe we could have complicated the evidence if Dr. Desmonde hadn't
called Alex at 11 o'clock. Actually, Alex and I were …. Well, the phone rang,
but nothing had happened …." He looked sheepish, even a little
embarrassed.
Nadine
smiled at him and touched his shoulder. "I'm sorry she called and spoiled
it for you. Trust me, there will be other times. Thanks for being honest
with me, Dr. Bonnet. Can I count on your support -- emotional and physical --
to get Alex through this?"
"Yes,
absolutely. What do I do?"
"Help
me help her remember what happened. I believe, based on what Commander
Françoise and Officer Martin have said, it is possible Alex doesn't remember
what happened. She may not know if she was raped or not."
Robert
was flabbergasted. "You're kidding. I'd never have thought that."
"It's
a protective reflex that many women have after a rape. It's a dissociation
mechanism that's commonly associated with sexual crime and abuse. It sounds as
though her clothes, while torn, were basically intact, so I'm hopeful that she
wasn't raped. Let me rephrase that, I'm hopeful she wasn't actually
penetrated. She was most assuredly raped in the greater sense of the word, and
Alex will view it that way. It's critical for her recovery and continued
mental health that she know for sure so she can learn to deal with it. Do you
understand what I'm saying, Dr. Bonnet?"
Robert
nodded mutely and followed her into the living room where Alex remained on the
sofa. Damn! It was a lot easier being a surgeon than a shrink or mental
health worker. Being a surgeon was quick and simple and you got results right
away -- not so much with mental health stuff.
Nadine
shook Alex gently. She opened her eyes slowly. They were liquid blue in
color, the color of bachelor's buttons in the summer. She struggled to sit up
and it was then that Robert noticed that her right shoulder was drooping. A
fractured clavicle, he surmised -- the same arm that had been injured in
February.
Nadine
spoke softly, "Alex, Jack asked me to come over and talk with you. Josh
and I need a statement about what happened here tonight. Are you up to
talking?"
Alex
nodded, looking at Robert. Clasping her hand tightly, Robert assured her he
would stay with her. Nadine was pleased that Bonnet was so cooperative. So
many men were either useless or macho machines in times like this. He would be
a good support for Alex, if she'd let him. For some reason, Nadine's intuition
told her she wouldn't.
Josh
began, "Ms. Destephano, do you mind if I tape your interview? The
Commander asked me to get your permission. If you would rather I didn't, I
won't."
Alex
smiled at Josh, "You can, Josh. It's okay. Call me Alex.”
"Thanks,
Alex." Josh cut the recorder on, giving the date, time, describing the
crime scene, and naming the people present at the taped interview.
"Tell
me what happened tonight, Alex. You can go as slowly as you like. I've got
three tapes with me. We've got plenty of tape and plenty of time." He
handed Alex the microphone.
In
a clear voice, Alex talked into the machine. She began with the phone call
from Monique and ended with the entrance of Josh Martin. She cried when she
related how Whitset had beaten Monique with the lead pipe and how he had cut
her face after she was unconscious. She made no mention of rape, but recounted
in great detail how Whitset had sung his sick little rhyme to her and how he
had torn her clothes. Robert gripped her hand tightly throughout the
interview, which took about 20 minutes.
Nadine
and Josh nodded their heads as she spoke, asking questions to clarify and
expand her statement. Josh seemed satisfied and looked at Nadine for
direction.
Nadine
picked up on his cue and said to Alex, "You described how Whitset pushed
you to the floor and ripped your clothes. You didn't tell us what he did to
you."
Alex
looked confused. "What do you mean I didn't tell you! I told you
everything that Whitset did!" Her voice was angry, defensive.
Nadine
persisted. "You've got bruises on your face, a black eye, and an injured
shoulder. Did Whitset hit you when he had you on the floor?"
Alex
looked thoughtful. "Why yes, I suppose he did. Who else could have
possibly hit me?" The tone of Alex's voice implied she thought Nadine's
question was ridiculous and stupid. Her tone was condescending, very much
unlike Alex's normal voice.
"Did
Whitset do anything else to you that you haven't mentioned?" Nadine
continued to look thoughtfully at Alex, who shook her head negatively.
There
was a silence for a few minutes while Nadine and Josh reviewed their notes.
Robert continued to stroke Alex's hand. He smiled at her gently and said,
"It's almost over, Al. Soon we'll go."
She
smiled back. She was so tired. All she wanted to do was take a shower and
sleep.
Nadine
looked up from her notes and said, "I have another question for you,
Alex. Listen carefully and answer me as best you can. It's important."
"Okay,
Nadine. But, hurry up. I'm tired and I want to get cleaned up so I can go to
CCMC to check on Monique."
Nadine
could tell that Alex was getting impatient. Nadine's dark eyes searched Alex's
deep blue ones as she asked the question in a matter of fact manner, "Did
Lester Whitset rape you?"
Alex
was flustered, her voice angry. "Nadine, I told you everything that
happened that I can think of. Don't you understand that I'm tired and I want
to go home? I've been awake for over 24 hours."
Nadine
continued to look steadily at her. She asked again," Did Lester Whitset
rape you, Alex? Did he penetrate you?"
Alex
jumped angrily off the sofa, her injured shoulder drooping. She shrieked at
them, her voice loud and quavering, "I told you everything I know. I want
to get out of here, now." She looked around frantically for some means of
escape. Her eyes rested on Robert and she said to him, her voice small and
broken, "Robert, please make them leave me alone. I said everything I can
remember. I want to go home. I want you to take me, please!"
He
felt his heart constrict as he looked at her, her eyes liquid pools of grief.
He felt his reserve melting. She was so dejected, so sad. He glanced over at
Nadine Wells, who gave him a dark look that clearly told him to keep his mouth
shut.
He
looked back at Alex and said gently, "You've gotta answer Nadine's
question. It's important to know whether Whitset actually raped you. If he
did, we need to get you to the emergency department for an examination."
Alex
became hysterical. "No … No … No … I'm not going anywhere. Don't you
hear me! I'm not going anywhere! I've told you what I know and I am leaving!
Don't any of you try to stop me!"
Nadine
stood in her way. Her voice was crisp, chilly. "Calm down, Alex. Shut
up and stop all the noise, now! None of us want to hear it. Just answer the
question."
Robert
was becoming more and more uncomfortable with the line of questioning. He
thought Alex was being harassed. He was about to interrupt and protect her
when Josh Martin placed his hand on his shoulder in restraint and shook his
head.
Nadine
asked again, her voice clear, "Did Lester Whitset rape you, Alex?"
She
dissolved into tears. She was sobbing so hard her shoulders were shaking. Her
voice came out in large gulps. She was hyperventilating. Robert held her in
his arms, reassuring her that it made no difference to him. He told her over and
over that he loved her.
Finally,
Alex calmed down a little and said in a small, still voice that was almost a
whisper, "I don't know. I just don't know. I can't remember!"
Nadine
leaned over and put her arms around Alex. "It's all right if you don't
know, Alex. A lot of women don't know. They can't remember. They repress the
terror of what happened to them." Nadine continued to offer her
reassurance for several more minutes until Alex calmed down.
Alex
clung to Robert's hand and turned to face the police officers. "You mean
there are other women who don't know if they have actually been raped or
not?"
Nadine
smiled and responded, "Yep, Alex. That's right. You are certainly not
alone in this. What's important now is that we get you examined so that we
can tell …."
Alex
shrank from the thought of a rape examination. It was so humiliating and
embarrassing. She remembered having to do them when she worked in the
emergency department. "No, no, I won't go."
Nadine
looked at her firmly and said, "You've got to go, Alex. If you don't, you
will never know if you were physically raped and the uncertainty will haunt you
forever. You'll never recover emotionally from the experience." Nadine
turned and prevailed upon Alex's relationship with Robert. "You've gotta
go get checked out now and you and Robert can work through this together."
Robert
was nodding his head, aware of the implications that could result if Alex never
knew whether she was forcibly raped by Whitset. "Nadine's right, Alex.
We need to do all we can so we can work through this. I'll go with you and
we’ll go over to Memorial Hospital in Gulfport."
"Jack
has made the arrangements, Alex. We'll check you in under an assumed name. No
one will know you have been there. It'll be confidential. I'll go as well if
you like." Nadine squeezed her hand.
Alex
looked from Robert to Nadine. She said to Robert, "Would you mind if only
Nadine went with me? I'd rather you go check on Monique. Besides, someone will
recognize you there."
Robert
was surprised and a little hurt. "Of course, Al, whatever you want. I am
anxious about Monique. I'll see you back at your house around lunch time –
okay?" He raised his eyebrows questioningly at Nadine Wells.